Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, Alpha Psi State (Me.) Records

The Society was founded on May 11, 1929, in Austin, Texas, by Dr. Annie Webb Blanton, with eleven other key women educators. Many new chapters in many states were formed in the following years.

It took thirteen years for Delta Kappa Gamma to reach from Texas to Maine. However, in 1942, a few Maine superintendents, including one in Bangor, received a request from Delta Kappa Gamma Headquarters. He was asked to suggest a list of key women educators who would be worthy of Delta Kappa Gamma membership and to ascertain if they would be interested in membership in the Society. He responded with six names: Miss Nellie I. Gale, Mrs. Grace Faulkingham Gilmore, Mrs. Virginia D. Marston, Mrs. Louise B. Miller, Miss Carrie H. Rowe, and Dr. Edith M. Patch.

On September 19, 1942, Dr. May B. Allen, a daughter of Maine herself and corresponding secretary for the National Organization of Delta Kappa Gamma, representing Dr. Blanton, came to Maine to meet with these six women at the apartment of Louise Miller in Orono. At this time, these six women were initiated into Delta Kappa Gamma as National Members since there were no state or local chapters in Maine.

In Augusta on June 19, 1943, these six national members along with nine other outstanding women educators from southern Maine became the Founders of Alpha Psi State. These fifteen Alpha Psi Founders were Virginia A. Ames, Nellie I. Gale, Grace F. Gilmore, Harriet Laurent, Virginia D. Marston, Ina M. McCausland, Louise B. Miller, Edna A. Morris, Edith M. Patch, Carrie H. Rowe, Leota Rose, Dora L. Small, Ruth Y. Stinchfield, Mildred Thalheimer, and Dawn N. Wallace. Dr. May Allen, again on behalf of Dr. Blanton, conducted the ceremony.

Elected at the Augusta House Organizational Meeting to serve as officers until October 26, 1944, were: President, Dr. Dawn N. Wallace; First Vice-President, Mrs. Virginia D. Marston; Second Vice-President, Miss Ina McCausland; Corresponding Secretary, Miss Dora L. Small; Recording Secretary, Mrs. Ruth Stinchfield; Treasurer, Dr. Virginia Ames; and Parliamentarian, Mrs. Grace F. Gilmore.

On the same day as Alpha Psi was organized, Dr. Allen and the original six national members, now founders and members of Alpha Psi, traveled from Augusta to Bangor where they, along with six other carefully recruited candidates from the Bangor area became members of Alpha Chapter, the first of twenty chapters which now comprise the state organization. Dr. Allen also installed Alpha Chapter's first slate of officers, Carrie Rowe being the first president.

On October 26, 1944, the first annual meeting of Alpha Psi State was held during the Maine Teachers Association Convention at the DeWitt Hotel in Lewiston. At this meeting, a new slate of officers was elected and installed: President, Mrs. Virginia Marston; First Vice-President, Miss Ina McCausland; Second Vice-President, Miss Rita Torry; Corresponding Secretary, Miss Dora Small; Recording Secretary, Mrs. Ruth Stinchfield; Treasurer, Miss Nellie Gale; and Parliamentarian, Mrs. Grace F. Gilmore.

It should be noted that Virginia D. Marston is referred to by International as the first President of Alpha Psi State, Maine, as no society meetings or business was carried out by Alpha Psi until Virginia Marston became President in October, 1944.

The first Alpha Psi Mainspring was published on May 27, 1950 at the end of Dora Small's biennium as State President. Ina McCausland was the State Publication Chairman. The Mainspring is still being published today.

On June 23-26, 1965, Alpha Psi hosted the Northeast Regional Conference of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International at Poland Spring House in Poland Spring, Maine. Marietta Packard was just finishing her biennium as President of Alpha Psi and Helen Hayes was beginning her reign.

In 1981, the hard-covered book, Women Who Made Their Mark, was researched and written by Alpha Psi sisters. This book contained the biographies of 57 Maine women educators for whom schools in Maine had been named. The project was headed by Jeannette Achorn and Ellen Marckoon, both of Nu Chapter.

Alpha Psi celebrated its 50th birthday in 1993 by implementing the project, "Reaching Out . . . Because We Care." The members, led by President Lorraine Libby Bowdoin, contributed in excess of 10,000 Delta Kappa Gamma Service Hours that year to people with special needs (http://deltakappagamma.org/ME/deltakappagamma.org_me/History.html; accessed 3/26/2019).